Dang, I was exhausted. But it was completely worth it. 2.Ohio was a super success. Over 200 in attendance. Positive comments all around. And we pulled it off completely with volunteers. Amazing. We, the volunteers, wanted to see Columbus hold an intellectual discussion around tech innovation and our current presidential election. We wanted it so we made it happen.
When I sent the thank you to the speakers - Reid Hoffman, Judy Estrin, Mike Nelson and our honored guest Craig Newmark - I told them they had energized the local tech community. Energized us to a) not only pay attention to tech policy but to engage in tech policy discussions and b) provided us very specific ideas on how Columbus can elevate our tech industry.
I also gave great kudos to the speakes for following the direction set by the event organizers that the event be tech heavy, not politics heavy. We encouraged discussion, even disagreement. Mike Nelson, representing the Obam
a campaign, should have had the most difficult with this but in fact was so popular attendees swarmed him all evening.
Blogs:
Post Event Quotes:
"The engagement and energy at the Ohio 2.0 event in Columbus was a
great example of what can be achieved when individuals are 
motivated to
get involved, lead and innovate. We need national leadership that has
the vision, courage and commitment to inspire the entire nation -
bringing out the innovator in each of us - and to revive our Innovation
Ecosystem by fostering an environment for innovation through wise
funding and smart policy. We need the leadership of Barak Obama and Joe
Biden." - Judy Estrin, Entrepreneur Author, Closing the Innovation Gap.
"The 2.Ohio event was a great opportunity to discuss how new
technologies such as broadband wireless, cloud computing, Web 2.0, and
social networking will not only create new jobs in the information
technology sector but will increase profits and wages throughout the
economy--in the auto industry, in the health care sector, in the
insurance industry--within the smallest businesses and the largest.
These technologies can also make government more cost-efficient and
responsive, more open and transparent. But this can only happen if we
have leaders like Barack Obama and Joe Biden who "get it" and are
willing to fix 20- and 30-year-old rules and regulations that are
standing in the way of creating 21st Century jobs. With their
leadership we can "reboot" both our government and our economy." -
Michael R. Nelson, Adviser to the Obama campaign on technology issues,
Professor, Internet Stu
dies,Georgetown University
"This year is a really big deal for American democracy and for our
economy. People of good will must stand up for the our shared values,
and for efforts that creat jobs. Ohioans are leaders in both areas." -
Craig Newmark, founder of Craigslist.
"I had a terrific time at 2.Ohio. I was really impressed with the size, depth, diversity, and passion of the Columbus tech community. Ironically enough, it's these kinds of in-person get-togethers that are critical to building a real tech community, and I think 2.Ohio sets a solid bar for these events in the future." - Brian Behlendorf, primary developer of Apache Serve and board member of Mozilla Foundation.
